Press for producing printing surfaces on cylinders



April 14, H. c. BOEDICKER 1,800,373

PRESS FOR PRODUCING PRINTING SURFACES ON CYLINDERS Filed Aug. 2, '1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l I am W ATTOR N EY April 14, 1931. H. c. BOEDICKER PRESS FORPRODUCII IG PRINTING SURFACES ON-CYLINDERS Filed Alig. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHHW 5'2 WWW" Win i INVENTOR M c,

lav/4% ATTORNEY Fatented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN O. BOEDICKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES WAGNER, OF HOBOKEN,NEW JERSEY PRESS FOR PRODUCING PRINTING SURFACES ON CYLINDERS Application filed August 2, 1929. Serial No. 382,923.

The object of the present invention is to provide a press adapted to produce printing surfaces upon printing cylinders, by transfer from flat platescsuch as zinc or aluminum lithographic plates. The specific object of the invention is to provide apparatus capable of commercially producing printing surfaces upon continuous-surface copper cylinders for use in lntalio textlle' which has heretofore been con-,

printing,

sidered impractical because of mechanical difiiculties in registration and impression.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a press constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the press frame and bed showing clamping and registration devices in position;

Figure 4: is a detail sectional view of a Vernier centering device;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the centering device; a

Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of the adjustable stop devices for the blanket cylinder shifting means.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the press comprises a frame having parallel side members 1 connected by the end frame members 2, a. The side frame members are provided on their exterior surfaces 35 with track-ways 3 for receiving and guiding the traveling carriage upon which the transfer roller and associated elements are mounted. The traveling carriage comprises two vertical frame members 4, each member at its lower end being provided with spaced rollers 5 which ride upon the lowermost track-way 3. The two frame members 4 are suitably connected by tie-rods 6 or by any other suitable connecting members.

Each side frame member 3 has mounted thereon a rack 7 The purpose of the two parallel racks is to cause bodily movement of the carriage simultaneously with the rotation of the blanket cylinder when the latter is' rotated manually, by the turning of a crank.

The blanket cylinder is shown at 8. It is provided with a sheath of rubber or other suitable transfer material and at each end it is provided with a large gear wheel 9- in mesh with one of the two racks 7. A. shaft 10 extends through the blanket cylinder and is received at each end by a bearing block 11 which is suitably channeled to have up and down movement in a vertical passageway 4m formed in the appropriate frame member 4 of the carriage. Each block at its base is engaged by a spring 12mm and at its top each block carries an internally threaded sheave for receiving a screw 12, the latter being headed at its lowervend'. Intermediate the side frame members, 1 is supported the bed 17. The bed is adapted to support the flat printing plate 18. Also, at its right hand end (Figs. 1 and 2) the bed is adapted to support a proof sheet.

Screw 12 extends upwardly through a bushing 32 seated within cross-head 33 and extends above the cross-head being connected to an operating hand lever A. At the opposite side of the machine the construction is exactly the same as to block 11, the screw (numbered 12m), and upper shaft extension. The cross-head at said opposite side of the machine is numbered 33w. The shaft 1200 has connected thereto a crank arm 34 joined by a link 35 with a crank arm 36 on shaft 12. Thus the movement imparted to shaft 12 by lever A is transmitted in exactly the same degree to shaft 12m. Upon each of shafts 12 and may be threaded or otherwise secured a stop collar 37 adapted to contact with the lower surface of the 00 appropriate cross-head 33 or 3305*, as the case may be.

Each of the frame members 4 is provided with an upwardly projecting extension 38 formed with a slide-way 39 adapted to receive a bearing block 40 for mandrel 41. Headed in a suitable block 42 bolted to the bearing block 40 is a screw 43, the screw passing through a suitable bearing (not shown), the bearing being clamped in position within a-boss 44 by. means of set screw 45w. Screw .43 is rotatable relatively to, block 42. Boss '44 is formed as part of cross-head 45 removably securedtd-frame extension 38. Each screw 43 carries at'its top a hand wheel 47. Each bearing block may carry a pointer for registration with a scale 48 carried by the frame extension 38. The bearing blocks 40' maybe placed in various positions relatively to. the blanketcylinder so as to support printing cylinders of various diameters. A printing cylinder 49 is shown in Figsfl'and 2.

When the parts are in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, with the hand lever parallel with the longitudinal frame members 1, screws 12, 12x will hold the blanket cylinder slightly above the plate 18 and at the same time slightly out of contact with the printing cylinder. Owing to the fact that the printing cylinder may be adjusted to a predetermined fixed peripheral position, also that the plate is fixed with its surface position predetermined in accordance with its thickness, the movement of hand lever A to a certain position from neutral will establish a predetermined pressure between blanket cylinder and printing cylinder, and movement of the hand lever to a second certain position will establish a predetermined pressure between blanket cylinder. and plate. The said two certain positions may be determined by adjustable stop members for the lever A. In the schematic view, Fig. 6, these stop members are indicated as opposed set screws 54, 55a: carried by bracket arms 56 suitably formed and supported as for example on the cross-head 33 and adapted to be engaged by a contact arm 50 clamped upon screw 12m.

The carriage may be moved longitudinally of the bed by rotating a crank 51, the latter being connected to a shaft 52 sup ported in the frame members 4. Shaft 52 carries two pinions 53, each engaging one of the gear wheels 9 on the blanket cylinder.

When in multi-color work it is desired to produce a plurality of printing cylinders, each showing the design or a part thereof for a given color, it is essential that the successive plates 18 be placed in identically the same position and alignment relatively to the successive printing rollers upon which the image is to be produced. To this end my apparatus embodies the registration devices now to be described.

On the cross frame member 200 are mounted, as for example by means of the studs 18, two adjustable vermer gauges. Each gauge comprises a supporting bracket 19 provided with spaced apertures to receive the studs 18, the bracket being provided with guide-ways for receiving the scale 20, and with a set screw 21 for clamping the scale in the guideways when the'scale has been adjusted to proper position. For fine adjustments of the scale a Vernier plate 22 is fixed to bracket 19 adjacent theslide-way and clamped to the-scale by means of set screw 23 is a block 24 having a screw 25 fixed to the bracket 22 and passing through a threaded thumb-wheel 26. When approximate adjustment of the scale has been reached, a fine and exact adustment may be equally determined by loosening stud 21 and turning. thumb-wheel 26. Due to the fact that screw 25 is fixed, rotation of thumbswheel 26 will move block 24 and the scale 20 carried by. it to the right or left of the vernierscalefas desired. Customarilyeach-plate 18 will be marked with registry marks for squaring the plate, as for example themarks'b, Fig. 3, and with one or more marks for centering the plate, as for example the mark 0, Fig. 3.

For squaring the plate one of the scales 20 will be so adjusted as to lie exactly in register with one of the square lines 6. A readmg of the Vernier will then be made and the second scale will be adjusted to exactly that reading. The plate will then be moved so as it lies into exact squared alignment.

After the plate has been adjusted it is clamped into position by suitable clampin means, as for example the clamp 27 pivote at each end upon the frame member 1 and movable into andout of clamping position by the crank 28. 'Suchdevices form no part of the present invention and are not shown in detail.

For centering the plate I have employed a Vernier scale which may be mounted upon the clamp 27 or on the frame. It consists of the parallel bracket arms 29 which support between them a bar 30 upon which islongitudinally movable a pointer 31. Bracket arms 29 also support between them, for longitudinal movement, a flat scale 32. The pointer has an upwardly projecting member for registration with the centre line of the lfs plate and a rearwardly projectin member for registration with the centre hne of the plate and a rearwardly'projecting member for registration with the scale 32. As shown in Fig. 5, scale 32 is carried at its right hand end by a threaded shaft 32 which passes through the right hand bracket arm 29 which may also pass through a suitable aperture formed. in a second bracket arm. 29x.

Threaded upon shaft 33 is a thumb-wheel directionby rotating thumb-wheel 34.

Mounted .upon the right hand bracket arm 29 is a pointer36 aiid-=spaced on the periphery'of thumb-wheel 34 are? the numerals 1 to 9, and also 0. The threadsoii shaft 33 and thumb-wheel 34 may be one hundred to the inch, for example, and the movement from 0 to 1, etc., of the thumb-wheel may shift the scale 32 one-thousandths of an inch.

In the operation of the centering Vernier, after the plate has been squared, pointer 31 will be moved until its forwardly projecting point lies exactly in register with the centering line. Should the fine line 3100 of the ointer lie, at such time, a little to the left or-a little to the right of a scale line, thumbwheel 34 will be rotated sufiiciently to move the scale one or more thousandths of an inch until a line'on the scale and line 3110 on the pointer are precisely in register. This will fix accuratelyjhereading for centering the successive plates: 5.

In the operation of the device, a cylinder 49, of any diameter within the limits of ad 'ustment of blocks 40, is installed, and print 111g plate 1 8'bearing the design or other matter to be transferred to cylinder 49 is accurately fixed in position on the bed by the squaring, centering and clamping means above described. If desired, the screws 12, 12:0 may be made sectional and means pro- 4 1 vided for slightly shortening or lengthening it to compensate for differences in thickness of printing plates so as to insure lack of contact between the blanket or transfer cylinder 8 when lever A is in--neutral position. To this end the'upper section of each of the said screws may be threaded into an enlarged upper part a and the member 37 heretofore termed a stop collar may be employed as a lock nut to hold the two sections against relative rotation when the lower section has been given a required rotary movement to change the length'of the screw.

Assuming that the lever A is in neutral position and the transfer cylinder out of contact with the plate, each hand wheel 47 will be rotated to bring the cylinder 49 in such osition that it also will lie slightly out of contact with. the transfer cylinder. By means of the scale 48 and pointer arrangement for each adjusting screw for block 40 exact parallelism of the cylinder 49 with respect to the transfer cylinder may readily be determined. The stops 54, 559:

will then be adjusted so that when the hand lever is thrown to the plate impression and printing cylinder impression positions the predetermined pressures will be given.

A proof may first be take'nby inking the ,with the plate, past neutral position and into contact with the cylinder 49 with a pressure predetermined by the means above described. Crank 51 may then be rotated to cause traverse of the carriage, rotation of the transfer cylinder and rotation of cylinder 49 by frictional contact with the transfer cylinder.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the form and arrangerr ient of the elements illustrated and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent being as follows 1. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate,'a carriage movablerelatively'to said bed, a transfer cylinder supported by the carriage, supporting means'on the carriage providing an axis of rotation for a cylinder. to receive a surface impression from the transfer cylinder, means for shifting the transfer cylinder alternately into contact with a plate supported on said bed and into contact with a cylinder supportedon said supporting means of the carriage, and adjustment means for said shifting means adapted to regulate the latter so that when itwis operated the pressure of the transfer cylinder on the plate and the pressure of said cylinder on the cylinder to receive a surface impression, may be the same in degree.

2. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate, a carriage movable relatlvely to said bed, a transfer cylinder supported by the carriage, supporting means on the carriage providing-an axis ofrotation for a cylinder to receive a surface impression from the transfer cylinder, and adjustable means for bringing the transfer cylinder alternately into contact with a plate on said bed, and with a cylinder to receive a surface impression onsaid carriage supporting means, with predetermined pressure, either alike in the two cases, or relatively different.

3. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate, acarriage movable relatively to said bed, a transfer cylin- I der supported by the carriage, supporting means on the carriage providing an I cylinder, the carriage and said supporting means on the carriage being so constructed and related that cylinders of varying diameters may be supported in positions to receive surface impressions from the transfer cylinder.

4. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate, a carriage movable relatively to said bed, a transfer cylinder supported by the carriage, supporting means on the carriage providing an axis of rotation for a cylinder to receive a surface impression from the transfer cylinder, and adjusting means for the supporting means on the carriage, whereby said supporting means may be adjusted toward and from the axis of the transfer cylinder so that cylinders of varying diameters may be held by said supporting means on the carriage.

5. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate, a carriage movplate, and an intermediate centering vernier= able relatively to said bed, a transfer cylinder supported by the carriage, supporting means on the carriage providing an axis of rotation for a cylinder to receive a surface impression from the transfer cylinder, means for relatively and bodily moving the supporting means on the carriage and the transfer cylinder and adjustable scaleregistration devices carried by the frame for locating a plate on the bed in predetermined position relatively to the transfer cylinder, said registration device comprising spaced parallel vernier gauges arranged with their upper faces parallel with the plane of the bed, for squaring the gauge and a co-acting pointer therefor, said pointer being movable independently of the ed and gauge.

6. A press constructed in accordance with claim- 5, including means for clamping a plate on the bed, and a registration device carried by said clamping means and adapted to coact with said scale-registration devicesto set a predetermined position for a relatively to the transfer cylinder.

7. A press, comprising a frame, a bed for supporting a printing plate, a carriage movable relatively to said bed, a transfer cylinder supported by the carriage, supporting means on the carriage providing an axis of rotation plate I for a cylinder to receive a surface impression from the transfer cylinder, and means for relatively moving said supporting means on the carriage and the transfer cylinder until the two are brought into contact underpredetermined pressure including means on the carriage and means associated with the cylinder which receives a surface impression from the transfer cylinder for indicating the position of the axis of said last named cylinder relatively to the axis of the transfer cylinder.

8. A press, comprising in combination, a frame, a supporting surface for a printing plate, a supporting surface for a transfer blanket, the latter supporting surface and the supporting surface for a printing plate being relatively adjustable toward and from each other and relatively movable to permit rolling contact between a printing plate carried by the one and a transfer blanket carried by the other, and supporting means providing an axis of rotation for a cylinder to receive impressions from the transfer blanket, the said supporting means and the supporting surface for the transfer blanket being individually adjustable toward and from each other.

9. A press constructed in accordance with claim 5 in which the centering vernier gauge and the coacting pointer are individually adjustable.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. 

